PM’s visit to reopen export of manpower to UAE:Daily Sun

Minister of Social Affairs of UAE Marriam Mohammad Khalfan Al Roomi receives Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her arrival at Abu Dhabi International Airport on Saturday. PID photo Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a three-day visit on Saturday amid high hopes and optimism about strengthening bilateral collaborations and resuming manpower export to the oil ric
h nation. The visit is crucial as a number of agreements, including those on manpower export, security cooperation and transfer of sentenced prisoners, are expected to be signed during the PM’s visit. The premier left Dhaka by a Bangladesh Biman flight at about 8:30am and reached the Abu Dhabi International Airport at around 11:30 am local time. UAE’s Social Affairs Minister Maryam Mohammed Khalfan Alroomi received the Bangladesh premier where Bangladesh’s ambassador to the UAE Mohammad Imran was also present, reports agencies. The UAE, the second largest manpower destination for Bangladesh after Saudi Arabia, has restricted its labour market for the Bangladeshi workers like many other countries. At present, more than a million Bangladeshis work there. The government expects that the premier’s visit will pave a way for reopening the manpower market to boost remittance inflow from UAE. There had been media reports that UAE was unhappy with Bangladesh as Dhaka did not vote for them in the first round in its bid to host the World Expo 2020. Bangladesh voted for Russia in the first round, but after its elimination, Dhaka voted for and the UAE finally won the bid. The government is also optimistic as the prime minister’s visit will follow the tour of President Abdul Hamid who will attend a conference in Dubai. Both of them will visit UAE at the invitation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates. Apart discussing issues of bilateral and international interests, the premier will hold meetings with the UAE’s Mother of the Nation Sheikh Fatima, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on October 26. The premier will fly to Dubai to meet Rashid Al Maktoum. She will also meet the ruler of the Ras al-Khaimah (RAK) Sheikh Saud Bin Aaqr Al Qasimi. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali at a briefing told reporters that the deals that they were expecting to be signed included security co-operation, transfer of convicted prisoners, handover of a plot to UAE Embassy in Dhaka, foreign office consultation and an MoU between the manpower bureaus for recruiting domestic workers. Officials say signing those agreements will open up the manpower market again. The foreign minister, however, said discussions were going on regarding the issues. “We’ll let you know once the negotiation is over,” he said. He, however, said the back-to-back visits by the president and the prime minister points to resolution of problems. President Hamid will leave for UAE on October 28, a day after the return of the prime minister, to attend the 10th World Islamic Economic Forum until October 30. Bangladesh will try to lure in Gulf investors during the prime minister’s visit to invest in gas pipelines, refinery, fertiliser, port development and power sector, officials say.